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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. key — in music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. current — electric
  7. staff — a stick
  8. current — of water
  9. key — the most important part
  10. current — happening now
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stock — shares
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. stock — goods
  23. kid — child
  24. spell — magic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com